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Lampoon Parodies
The Wobbit: A Parody
From the authors of the New York Times bestselling parody The Hunger Pains, this fresh take on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is a hilarious send-up of Middle-earth, publishing just in time for the major motion picture release of The The Desolation of Smaug.The sequel to the parody of the sequel to the prequel to The Lord of the Rings When Aaron Sorkinshield and his band of Little People embark on a totally feasible quest to reclaim the hoard of Academy Awards stolen from them by the lonely Puff the Magic Dragon, senile wizard Dumbledalf suggests an unlikely and completely unqualified Billy Bagboy, an unassuming wobbit dwelling in terrorist-riddled Wobbottabad. Along the way, the company faces Internet trolls, moblins, one really big spider that must be at least an inch and a half wide, and worse. But as they journey from the wonders of Livinwell to the terrors of Jerkwood and beyond, Billy will find that there is more to him than anyone—Tolkien included—ever dreamed. Propelled to his destiny by a series of courageous adventures and indented paragraphs, Billy will set out on the greatest YOLO of all time . . . one that leads deep into the dark caverns hiding a mysterious man named Goldstein, who’s just trying to have a nice seder.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 26, 2013
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271 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 19, 2018
For a book written by people who went to Harvard, you think it'd be a lot smarter.
March 29, 2019
Lazy and sporadic
In an attempt to push as many pop references and sophmoric insults into as few pages as possible, this reads like a train wreck. No sense of love or admiration of the original content. Just a fire hose of shitty references. This occasionally touches on some genuine comedy but mostly it's drivel and most unforgivably unfunny.
In an attempt to push as many pop references and sophmoric insults into as few pages as possible, this reads like a train wreck. No sense of love or admiration of the original content. Just a fire hose of shitty references. This occasionally touches on some genuine comedy but mostly it's drivel and most unforgivably unfunny.
January 22, 2014
The Harvard Lampoon are absolutely fantastic. I doubt that they could very write anything that I wouldn't like.
I was so excited when I got this for review because I adored their parody of The Hunger Games, called The Hunger Pains, and my totally real psychic abilities told me I would love this one. They never fail me.
The Wobbit was almost as funny as The Hunger Pains. It takes a lot for me to say that a book is laugh out loud funny, because I'm one of those interesting people who typically display no obvious emotion while reading. I could be having a fit of laughter inside and you'd never know. In fact I could be now and you'd never know. But yes, this actually made me laugh out loud.
Why, you ask?
Well one of the reasons had to be the very confused Dumbledalf. He could make any scene hilarious. And who could forget Kiwi? Billy Bagboy was so bad himself, either. Puff the very friendly dragon was fairly epic as well.
It's totally worth reading this for all the YOLO references and, of course, the appearance of Game of Musical Chairs. I was actually disappointed when it ended, it could probably be a never ending book and I would never get bored of it.
The Harvard Lampoon's books will definitely be a go to for funny read for a very long time. I dare say that this will be mentioned on my Top Books of 2014 blog post, why look at that! My psychic abilities have kicked in again!
5 comets - Out of this world.
I was so excited when I got this for review because I adored their parody of The Hunger Games, called The Hunger Pains, and my totally real psychic abilities told me I would love this one. They never fail me.
The Wobbit was almost as funny as The Hunger Pains. It takes a lot for me to say that a book is laugh out loud funny, because I'm one of those interesting people who typically display no obvious emotion while reading. I could be having a fit of laughter inside and you'd never know. In fact I could be now and you'd never know. But yes, this actually made me laugh out loud.
Why, you ask?
Well one of the reasons had to be the very confused Dumbledalf. He could make any scene hilarious. And who could forget Kiwi? Billy Bagboy was so bad himself, either. Puff the very friendly dragon was fairly epic as well.
It's totally worth reading this for all the YOLO references and, of course, the appearance of Game of Musical Chairs. I was actually disappointed when it ended, it could probably be a never ending book and I would never get bored of it.
The Harvard Lampoon's books will definitely be a go to for funny read for a very long time. I dare say that this will be mentioned on my Top Books of 2014 blog post, why look at that! My psychic abilities have kicked in again!
5 comets - Out of this world.
December 19, 2013
REALLY LIKED IT
This isn't so much a parody and it is more of a satire of current events and internet trolls. It is somewhat based on The Hobbit with Aaron Sorenkinsheild and his little people quest for the gold (academy awards) that a dragon (PUFF!) controls. There quest, of course, this being an Internet meme, is a YOLO. It contains everything from the Kardashians, Harry Potter to Star Wars with some middle earth memes thrown in for balance. It is super sarcastic and makes fun of almost every flame war that occurs on the Internet these days. I mean troll and flame wars are literal here!
The characters mirror those in The Hobbit, but just barely. Bilbo Baggins is re imagined as Billy Bagboy, an obese troll, who considers eating as much as possible as his true occupation. Gandalf has become Dumbledalf, in sort of a cross breeding with Dumbledore. While Elrond is now L. Ron, purveyor of bad science fiction and you can guess the rest. Overall, this had quite a few laughs if you are Internet friendly and adore The Hobbit. I think it probably has an expiration date since a lot of the references will have died in a few years.
This isn't so much a parody and it is more of a satire of current events and internet trolls. It is somewhat based on The Hobbit with Aaron Sorenkinsheild and his little people quest for the gold (academy awards) that a dragon (PUFF!) controls. There quest, of course, this being an Internet meme, is a YOLO. It contains everything from the Kardashians, Harry Potter to Star Wars with some middle earth memes thrown in for balance. It is super sarcastic and makes fun of almost every flame war that occurs on the Internet these days. I mean troll and flame wars are literal here!
The characters mirror those in The Hobbit, but just barely. Bilbo Baggins is re imagined as Billy Bagboy, an obese troll, who considers eating as much as possible as his true occupation. Gandalf has become Dumbledalf, in sort of a cross breeding with Dumbledore. While Elrond is now L. Ron, purveyor of bad science fiction and you can guess the rest. Overall, this had quite a few laughs if you are Internet friendly and adore The Hobbit. I think it probably has an expiration date since a lot of the references will have died in a few years.
July 31, 2025
This was rough. Not even funny. I feel bad for the trees. It was like someone that tries way too hard to be funny. if i could have, i would have given it zero stars. I give it 1 star and may god have mercy on their souls.
February 17, 2019
Not that entertaining or funny. It needed to have a lot more to it to really make a dent in how I feel
March 26, 2020
Well written and interesting. The best part was the battle of the five armies at the end.
July 15, 2024
better than bored of the rings i think but my god allll of the most 2012 references, it was too much
Read
September 30, 2025Stupid, absurd, the author must have been trippin’ hard...but I still couldn’t stop reading :D
December 24, 2020
I died laughing a few times reading this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a laugh and enjoys fantasy.
January 25, 2014
I really wanted to like this book. My recollections of its predecessor Bored of the Rings are of an uneven, but chuckle-filled, delight that I wanted to share with my friends. Unfortunately, this book is only uneven, sprinkled with a few smirks, and I can't recommend it.
It's a shame, really. Tolkien's books seem like a prime target for parody. As are the overblown films that Peter Jackson makes out of them (and I enjoy the heck out of both). If parody is defined as a deliberate copy done for comic effect, this book only vaguely fits the definition. All that is borrowed from the original work is a rough outline of the plot (with little comic effect) that is used to string together a hodge podge of cultural reference one-liners that don't even come close to telling a story.
A few jokes are amusing. There are some good shots at Aaron Sorkin and the walk-and-talk. Dumbledalf's conflation of the worlds of The Hobbit and Harry Potter brought a couple of smiles. Also humorous were characters like L. Ron and his disciples, the Internet Trolls (actual trolls), and the idea of Elvisking.
What didn't work at all was the character of Billy Bagboy, the obvious stand-in for Bilbo Baggins. Rather than be the charming, confused, and frightened center of the story and thoughtful representative for the reader, he was presented as an obese, lazy oaf. Without a likable character for the reader to identify with, the book counted on its jokes to drag the reader through to the end. And since most of the jokes seemed to misfire, it was a real slog to push through the whole thing.
Read the cover. Skim the first chapter or two. If you're laughing out loud, or even giggling, you might enjoy this. If not, I'm afraid it doesn't get any better and you should give this book a pass.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review.
It's a shame, really. Tolkien's books seem like a prime target for parody. As are the overblown films that Peter Jackson makes out of them (and I enjoy the heck out of both). If parody is defined as a deliberate copy done for comic effect, this book only vaguely fits the definition. All that is borrowed from the original work is a rough outline of the plot (with little comic effect) that is used to string together a hodge podge of cultural reference one-liners that don't even come close to telling a story.
A few jokes are amusing. There are some good shots at Aaron Sorkin and the walk-and-talk. Dumbledalf's conflation of the worlds of The Hobbit and Harry Potter brought a couple of smiles. Also humorous were characters like L. Ron and his disciples, the Internet Trolls (actual trolls), and the idea of Elvisking.
What didn't work at all was the character of Billy Bagboy, the obvious stand-in for Bilbo Baggins. Rather than be the charming, confused, and frightened center of the story and thoughtful representative for the reader, he was presented as an obese, lazy oaf. Without a likable character for the reader to identify with, the book counted on its jokes to drag the reader through to the end. And since most of the jokes seemed to misfire, it was a real slog to push through the whole thing.
Read the cover. Skim the first chapter or two. If you're laughing out loud, or even giggling, you might enjoy this. If not, I'm afraid it doesn't get any better and you should give this book a pass.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review.
November 26, 2013
I really wanted The Wobbit to be a fabulous book. Too bad, it didn't quite match my expectations. The main problem that I had with the book was that I hated the character Billy Bagboy. He was the parody of Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, so he was all though the book. Unfortunately someone thought that they would portray him as a stupid, slovenly, tub of lard instead of connecting some characteristics of Bilbo to Billy. They could have exaggerated some of Bilbo's traits, but Billy really has nothing in common with Bilbo. He is so gross that it makes it hard to read some of the passages. BTW: The artist who painted the cover, and anyone associated with commissioning, designing, or approving the cover art work must not have read the book, because Billy Bagboy is described as obese. He has fat rolls covering his fat rolls, but that wouldn't sell many books, would it?
If you can ignore Billy, much of the rest of the book is rather funny. I loved the characters L. Ron (Elrond) and Dumbledalf (Gandalf). The Internet trolls, Björn, and the Elvisking were pretty good, but I thought that they kind of sleep-walked though the part with Puff the Magic Dragon. That could have been so much funnier. The Battle of the Five Armies at the end had some funny characters showing up to join in the fight, but it seemed a bit confused.
The Wobbit is a parody of The Hobbit, so if you aren't very familiar with The Hobbit, you will miss most of the jokes. If you love J.R.R. Tolkien, and have devoted your life to middle-earth, then you will feel that this book is sacrilegious. If you don't fall into either of those groups, and you are young enough to get the timely references, then you probably will be mildly entertained by The Wobbit, but don't expect to be rolling on the floor laughing.
I give this book 3 Stars out of 5. It's OK, just barely. I chuckled a few times, but I was hoping for so much more.
I received this Digital Review Copy for free from edelweiss.com.
If you can ignore Billy, much of the rest of the book is rather funny. I loved the characters L. Ron (Elrond) and Dumbledalf (Gandalf). The Internet trolls, Björn, and the Elvisking were pretty good, but I thought that they kind of sleep-walked though the part with Puff the Magic Dragon. That could have been so much funnier. The Battle of the Five Armies at the end had some funny characters showing up to join in the fight, but it seemed a bit confused.
The Wobbit is a parody of The Hobbit, so if you aren't very familiar with The Hobbit, you will miss most of the jokes. If you love J.R.R. Tolkien, and have devoted your life to middle-earth, then you will feel that this book is sacrilegious. If you don't fall into either of those groups, and you are young enough to get the timely references, then you probably will be mildly entertained by The Wobbit, but don't expect to be rolling on the floor laughing.
I give this book 3 Stars out of 5. It's OK, just barely. I chuckled a few times, but I was hoping for so much more.
I received this Digital Review Copy for free from edelweiss.com.
March 7, 2014
What can we say about parodies other than that we like them? I don't know.
What I can say is that this parody should be well-liked by those who like J.R.R. Tolkien's original, "The Hobbit," and accompanying Lord of the Rings trilogy, and by those who did not like the original. Indeed, this parody could be well-liked by those who haven't even watched the movies but only know about "The Hobbit" and Lord of the Rings second-hand. The folks over at Harvard Lampoon do a wonderful job of making fun, merely twisting and turning, and of praising the original. There's something in there for everyone.
On top of that, there are characters and references to other fantasy concoctions, like Harry Potter, A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), and Elvis Presley (we all know he was never real).
Some of the jokes are rather common, in that I've heard similar jokes used elsewhere, but even when they are common the writers have been clever. There is also plenty of randomness to satisfy those with a quirky humor.
If you are a fan of fun, I do not think you will be disappointed. If you are a fan of seriousness, and wish that the original characters of these fantasy universes could be left alone to reside in their own, original glory, then you might like the scene when Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and George R.R. Martin show up (with C.S. Lewis, or C.S. Losing, in tow) to reclaim their characters. Terrific fun!
What I can say is that this parody should be well-liked by those who like J.R.R. Tolkien's original, "The Hobbit," and accompanying Lord of the Rings trilogy, and by those who did not like the original. Indeed, this parody could be well-liked by those who haven't even watched the movies but only know about "The Hobbit" and Lord of the Rings second-hand. The folks over at Harvard Lampoon do a wonderful job of making fun, merely twisting and turning, and of praising the original. There's something in there for everyone.
On top of that, there are characters and references to other fantasy concoctions, like Harry Potter, A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), and Elvis Presley (we all know he was never real).
Some of the jokes are rather common, in that I've heard similar jokes used elsewhere, but even when they are common the writers have been clever. There is also plenty of randomness to satisfy those with a quirky humor.
If you are a fan of fun, I do not think you will be disappointed. If you are a fan of seriousness, and wish that the original characters of these fantasy universes could be left alone to reside in their own, original glory, then you might like the scene when Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and George R.R. Martin show up (with C.S. Lewis, or C.S. Losing, in tow) to reclaim their characters. Terrific fun!
December 1, 2013
Anyone who is anyone has seen the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movie and read the books. I love a good parody. I mean it is so easy now to do a parody of a movie or song. The MTV Video Movie Awards has been doing it for years and so has the Harvard Lampoon. However I have to say that I have never heard of the Harvard Lampoon until I read this book or I should say tried to read this book.
I was really looking forward to the non-stop laughter but I seemed to be missing my funny bone. I hardly laughed at all, despite all the references to celebrities, directors, actors, and Peter Jackson. What I found is that I lacked any interest in Billy and most of the Little People. Thus I struggled to stay with this book. I did try really hard to wan to like this book and finish it. But lets be honest, we all know how the story ends. You can enjoy all the supporting actors all you want but if the main talent is not up to par then the outcome is only so, so.
I was really looking forward to the non-stop laughter but I seemed to be missing my funny bone. I hardly laughed at all, despite all the references to celebrities, directors, actors, and Peter Jackson. What I found is that I lacked any interest in Billy and most of the Little People. Thus I struggled to stay with this book. I did try really hard to wan to like this book and finish it. But lets be honest, we all know how the story ends. You can enjoy all the supporting actors all you want but if the main talent is not up to par then the outcome is only so, so.
July 19, 2014
I’m not certain what makes a truly great parody or even a good one but this book isn’t it. It makes far too many references to other works, other authors and too many smirking asides about the merits of Harvard Lampoon itself to be anything close to humorous. Pop cultural and technological references fly so thick and fast; it’s like getting caught in a cheese blizzard. It’s smelly, it gets moldy fast and you’re made enormously irritable about getting the dairy stench and stickiness out of your hair and clothes.
In the end, this book was far too long and too short and left me deeply unsatisfied—much like the authors who show up in a non-climactic battle sequence that is too lengthy and repetitive to be described. Even the short sentence I’ve set down here about that scene is a waste of space. This is a book best appreciated by witless fanboys and fangirls. Anyone with intelligence is going to be really disappointed.
In the end, this book was far too long and too short and left me deeply unsatisfied—much like the authors who show up in a non-climactic battle sequence that is too lengthy and repetitive to be described. Even the short sentence I’ve set down here about that scene is a waste of space. This is a book best appreciated by witless fanboys and fangirls. Anyone with intelligence is going to be really disappointed.
November 25, 2013
Is this a classic? No. Far from it.
Is it pretty zany and wacky? Absolutely. I read a lot, and every once in a while, I need to read something goofy and fun. There is nothing and no one that is safe from being parodied.
From Romney and Obama, to the Oscars, The Harvard Lampoon pokes fun at everything at their expense. Even authors C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Token at not spared.
National Lampoon did a parody of Lord of the Rings called Bored of the Rings, and it made fun of contemporary society. This book is no different. It's just chock full of all kinds of cultural references to our everyday crazy world.
Is it pretty zany and wacky? Absolutely. I read a lot, and every once in a while, I need to read something goofy and fun. There is nothing and no one that is safe from being parodied.
From Romney and Obama, to the Oscars, The Harvard Lampoon pokes fun at everything at their expense. Even authors C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Token at not spared.
National Lampoon did a parody of Lord of the Rings called Bored of the Rings, and it made fun of contemporary society. This book is no different. It's just chock full of all kinds of cultural references to our everyday crazy world.
November 21, 2013
Boring! Dull! Tiresome! This is the first time a book’s blurb – you know, the come on to read the thing – has been funnier, has been better - than the book!
This was so mind-numbing, I couldn’t finish it – and god knows I tried to – and it’s not as if I am some Tolkien nut either – let’s face it – rereading The Lord of the Rings, I realized – who cares about the history of the Elves? Give me a break!
OK, read the first couple of pages of this in your local bookstore or on Amazon and see if you don’t decide to spend your bucks on lunch instead.
Is it bad? No, it’s worse than that.
This was so mind-numbing, I couldn’t finish it – and god knows I tried to – and it’s not as if I am some Tolkien nut either – let’s face it – rereading The Lord of the Rings, I realized – who cares about the history of the Elves? Give me a break!
OK, read the first couple of pages of this in your local bookstore or on Amazon and see if you don’t decide to spend your bucks on lunch instead.
Is it bad? No, it’s worse than that.
January 12, 2016
I only made it through the first two chapters, about 28 pages. I chuckled at a few things, but I've gotten more hearty laughs out of other books than this parody within that span of pages. I figured a book parody would be like most movie parodies, the main focus is how ridiculous the original work can be and then you sprinkle references to other works when it seems to be the best moment. Not the case. A lot of this seemed like more Harry Potter references than making fun of something true from Tolkein, like his need to spend a lot of time walking. Alas, not the case. Sorry, I just can't trudge through anymore.
April 25, 2014
Funny, not hilarious.
"The sequel to the parody of the sequel to the prequel to The Lord of the Rings
When Aaron Sorkinshield and his band of Little People embark on a totally feasible quest to reclaim the hoard of Academy Awards stolen from them by the lonely Puff the Magic Dragon, senile wizard Dumbledalf suggests an unlikely and completely unqualified accomplice: Billy Bagboy, an unassuming wobbit dwelling in terrorist-riddled Wobbottabad."
"The sequel to the parody of the sequel to the prequel to The Lord of the Rings
When Aaron Sorkinshield and his band of Little People embark on a totally feasible quest to reclaim the hoard of Academy Awards stolen from them by the lonely Puff the Magic Dragon, senile wizard Dumbledalf suggests an unlikely and completely unqualified accomplice: Billy Bagboy, an unassuming wobbit dwelling in terrorist-riddled Wobbottabad."
November 4, 2014
Less than three chapters in and I just gave up on this one. It's not even remotely as good as Bored of the Rings. I supposed that's to be expected, since that book is the high note of the parody genre. This was just ... boring. Not even boring in an Ed Wood kind of way - just dull and languid.
February 17, 2017
This book was hilarious for the most part, though I could do without some of the unnecessary dirtier humor. But combing Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Lord of the Rings was genius. Though, nothing will beat their parody of Twilight, Nightlight.
December 21, 2013
It's okay, I guess. Parts of it are funny, but it is a little one-note.
January 5, 2014
It started out really strong, but got a tad bit tedious by the end. Still, it was really funny overall.
April 3, 2014
I thought I would like it, since I can't get into LotR (I can hear the gasps of horror) but I didn't like this one either. Maybe I just wasn't meant to read this series.
March 6, 2023
I liked how the end circled around to the "Bored of the Rings" parody published earlier.
July 12, 2016
Funny book not as good as Bored of the Rings
October 3, 2016
No where near as funny as Bored of the Rings.
January 2, 2014
Will post review as soon as it posts at its place of origin.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews